Check out our Holiday Auction - Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW)

Avalanche: Grizzly Gulch

Observer Name
Hopkins / Hopkins / Ticknor
Observation Date
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Avalanche Date
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Grizzly Gulch
Location Name or Route
Grizzly Gulch
Elevation
8,800'
Aspect
Southeast
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Dry Loose
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
1"
Width
30'
Comments
We skied late afternoon in foggy conditions with little snow accumulation from the storm. Our tour dropped us out on the south-facing side of upper Grizzly Gulch. For our exit, we traversed through mostly benign terrain back to the lot. We noted a very touch interface with the suncrust and new snow.
When we could see the lot, I ski-cut the steep south-facing slope of the Gulch and was surprised to see something I've never experienced-- spiderwebbing snow all around me and a thought of having enough speed to get back on the ridge. It was just an inch, so there really wasn't even anything to take a picture of, but with more snow combined with a terrain trap like this one, I imagine the hazard could be more pronounced.
Coordinates